


Fair Price

by truc



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU, DCU (Comics), Justice League & Justice League Unlimited (Cartoons), Justice League - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Family, Gen, Love, M/M, Mortality, Saving everyone, Selfish, Trauma, Truth, Wishes, cost of happiness, equivalent exchange, fairytale gone wrong, ignorance is bliss, life - Freeform, wilfully blind
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-10
Updated: 2018-01-13
Packaged: 2019-03-02 19:53:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13325334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/truc/pseuds/truc
Summary: Clark, Diana and Bruce are given the choice to accept their wishes three times. For each wish, payment is required.





	1. Mad Tim

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Watchtower is taken over by the Bats.

Clark had to admit he was lucky.

He was often considered the world's greatest hero. His work as a reporter was wildly recognized. He was happily married to Lois Lane and their son Jon was a brilliant ray of sun. Conner and Kara were involved in their family life as was his mother. The only person missing was his father who had died many years before. Life was good.

Then, he heard Flash babble about the Watchtower being taken over by Jason Todd, Tim Drake and Alfred, none of them in superhero costumes.

Okay. That had to be a hoax... Clark tried his private line with Batman, "Bruce?", even if he knew the other man hated his name being used while he was wearing his comm.

There was no answer. This was worrying. Bruce always answered his line when Clark called, even was he fighting demons or something.

Superman flew out of his office and headed to the Watchtower. In the main hall, it was deadly quiet. He could hear noises in the conference room, so he floated there, watching out for Kryptonite.

He slowly opened the conference room and he stuck speechless by the scene in front of him: Flash, Aquaman, J'onn and Hawkgirl were sitting down in their chairs, but Jason sat at Wonder Woman's place while Tim sat at Superman's and Alfred at Batman's. The only visible weapons were Alfred's shotgun resting on the table and Jason's guns at his hips. Jason looked bored playing with his cellphone, "Hmmm... Alfred, I can't remember. What is a seven letter word meaning egocentric?"

"Wouldn't it be "selfish", Master Jason?", the imperturbable butler answered. Tim had a twitching eye, while he had both legs drawn up to his chest, his head moving jumpily around.

"Right. It slipped my mind", the black and white-haired man replied without looking up from his cellphone.

Superman coughed trying to draw everyone's attention to him. The Justice League stared at him, Flash being so overjoyed at his presence it was worrying. The three intruders didn't look at all in his direction so the man of steel had to ask, "What is going on here?"

When none of the three intruders answered, J'onn decided to cut in calmly, "They have apparently put bombs with Kryptonite on it in the Watchtower and they wanted us to wait for you and Diana. They have some questions for the two of you". The good news was J'onn didn't seem to think they were in danger. The bad news was that any Bat-related vigilantes were unpredictable at best, dangerous at worst.

"Take a seat Superman", Alfred said with his eyes burning in something similar to hatred. The superman moved back, stricken by the anger. The old man had always been polite and pleasant to him and had taken to call him "Master Clark". It was a level of familiarity and trust Clark had been happy to obtain.

Flash was quiet and the three other superheroes looked more curious and perplexed at being taken hostages than angry. Superman sat in Green Lantern's seat and waited for some explanations. None were forthcoming. Something was wrong.

Finally, he had had enough of the silence, "Where is Batman?"

At that sentence, the other superheroes looked at him surprised. Aquaman was frowning and Hawkgirl was glaring at him. Jason looked up from his phone for the first time and started laughing for over thirty awkward seconds.

"Man, that was funny. Care to enlighten the slow guy why, Flashy Boy?"

Flash seemed scared witless by the abrasive personality, but he still explained, "Superman, Batman disappeared a week ago. Alfred contacted the Watchtower six days ago and we sent a notice to all members. I ran around Gotham. J'onn searched for his mind. Aquaman looked in the seas. Hawkgirl organized a committee. You and Diana never answered us back. Batman is still missing."

Superman was flabbergast. He took his cellphone out and sure enough, he saw the notices sent at least three times in the past week. He shook his head, no way would he have forgotten about his best friend. Before he could clarify further, Diana busted in the door with excessive force, "Who kidnapped him?"

Every other superhero blinked at her while Jason explained nonchalantly, "Oh, that. I didn't kidnap Steve. It was just a prank".

Diana glared at him for a drawn on moments before Alfred interjected, "Sit down Wonder Woman", with almost as most vitriol as he had with Superman. She sat in the lone empty chair normally reserved for guests.

"Everyone is here. Did you want to start your meeting?", J'onn asked the intruders. Jason left his cellphone on the table, putting his feet on the table and arms behind his head. Alfred was alternating glares from Superman to Wonder Woman. Tim was muttering under his breathe.

"Fine. I called this meeting because I heard something funny", Jason started with a handsome smile that sent chills down Superman's back.

"You know, Bruce was visiting me at Blackgate and Tim at the asylum in Bludhaven at least every three days. Sometimes Alfred came with him, sometimes he came separately. Well, as heartwarming as his visits were", Jason said with sarcasm, "his absence was soon noticed last week. I was bored three days ago and escaped my prison cell to go visit Replacement in Bludhaven. Thing is, although Bruce basically stared silently at me each visit he made, when he was with mad little Tim, he would tell a nice fairy tale. Most of the time Bruce was there, Tim was screaming, laughing or simply eating his nails away. Nurses told me Tim would relax at Bruce's story. Today, I want you to listen to Tim's remembrance of the nice little fairy tale".

Superman could feel everyone's interest well up at hearing the story. As long as he could avoid it, Batman never told stories. Still, Jason's description of Tim's behaviour was disturbing. Was Tim really interned in an asylum?

Alfred whispered something in Tim's ear and the boy nodded.

He thus started with a raspy voice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I already wrote the six first chapters. 
> 
> I think there will a total of seven or eight chapters in all. One chapter will be published per day. Chapters will all be short.


	2. The Story-Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A fairy's gift...

Once upon a time, there were three ordinary children playing pretend together.

One would say: "Look at me! I'm an Amazon princess, I'll beat boys up and bring peace to the world!" as she grabbed a plastic tiara. 

The second would say: "Look at me! I'm an all-powerful flying alien and I'll save mankind from itself!", draping himself in a red cape.

The third said: "You both lack imagination. I'm a human and I don't need powers nor birthrights to fight evil! I'll fight it off with my willpower and mad ninja skills", as he pulled a scarf over his mouth.

And so they played until it was almost dark.

As the sun was disappearing at the horizon, all three of the children remembered their parents had asked them to return before dark. They hurried away and fell into a deep hole. 

From the bottom of the hole, they each sought a way out. One of them saw there was water and thought she could swim outside and so she did.

One of them saw the light from above and decided to climb up. And he did.

The last one saw the tunnel continued and he decided to follow the draft of air. And he did.

The three of them finished at the same murky pond as they heard a voice emanating from everywhere at once: "I am Hiery the all-powerful fairy. I had promised I would grant three wishes to the first person entering to find my pond. Since there are three of you, I'll give you an even better deal. You can give you each three wishes, one now and two at later times. But, only two of the three wishes would be granted at each time. If all of you refuse to let your wish go at one time, your souls will all be mine".

"Can we refuse the wishes? Playing with souls sounds like a bad idea", the boy who had crawled in the tunnel asked.

The voice seemed amused, "You can. But will you? You can ask for almost anything".

The two others glared at the boy, "We can always refuse the wishes if it gets too bad". 

The boy was unconvinced this was a good idea: "My parents always told me to be careful of strangers. He is a stranger and he has powers. We can't trust him".

The other boy, the one who had chosen to climb, answered, "He is not a stranger. He gave us his name. Plus he is a fairy! Fairies are good, everyone knows that".

The tunnel boy replied, "He says he is a fairy. And he wants our souls. Fairies don't want souls".

The girl looked exasperated, "Look, we only have to agree which of us whose wishes won't be granted each time. One time, it would be me. Then you. Then you. Nobody loses their souls. Besides if it gets sketchy, we can always just refuse to chose". The tunnel boy agreed to go along with the other two. All of them looked in the pond to see their wishes.

The girl looked in the pond and saw she could become powerful enough to bring truth and peace to the world. Her tiara wouldn't be a plastic one anymore. Men would fear her. And she would bring peace to Earth, that's what Miss USA said she wanted. The girl preferred to get what she wanted by herself, not by simply praying. She would fight every troublemaker until there were no more bullies.

The boy who had climbed looked in the pond and saw himself flying around with laser eyes and freezing breath. He was so cool! And he was saving people every time! He was a hero. His life now meant something. He was no longer a clumsy little boy.

The last boy stared at the pond and he could only see his parents happy and spending more time with him. The boy knew he was being selfish. His father was a doctor and he saved people every day. If his father stopped, people would die. He felt ashamed of his childish wish. The two others probably had mature and selfless wishes. 

"I ask that whoever's wish is not to be granted to exit the pond area by going back in the hole", the voice said gently as the wind.

"I'm staying. I'm going to make a better world with truth and justice", the girl said, already happy with the powers she would gain.

"I'm staying. I'm going to save the helpless", the boy who climbed to light replied.

Now, the third child wanted to stay and make his wish come true. But he knew his wish was selfish compared to the two others' and he didn't want to seem childish, especially since the other two were almost a year older than him. So the boy said, "I'll go".

Each step he took through the tunnel burned his feet. Screeches from bats above him scared him. He wanted to turn back. But he didn't. He didn't want his friends to lose their souls nor he, his. He fell asleep shivering in the dark hole.

The three children woke up in the empty field. Their parents all chastised them. Nothing else changed. The girl didn't get to beat them up. The other boy wasn't an alien. They all had to go back home. They swore to always continue being best friends.

That year, the boy whose wish was not to be granted, lost both his parents in front of him in a dark alley. The boy knew it was because he had tried to make his wish come true with his own two hands. This was his punishment.

That year, the other boy discovered he had powers and he was an alien. He couldn't fly. Still, it was something.

That year, the girl discovered her parents had kidnapped her from Paradise Island as a revenge against the Queen of Amazons. Ares had been behind the kidnapping. The girl's mother came and picked her up, raising her on their secret Island where no men lived on.

In the following years, the alien boy could fly, shoot laser from his eyes and had a frozen breath. Because of his gifts, he became a superhero saving people. It was his responsibility.

In the following years, the girl received the lasso of truth and the quest to give the world peace. Because of her gifts, she became a superhero, saving people. It was her responsibility.

In the following years, the other boy's pain intensified until he had to give his life meaning if he didn't want to lose his own life. Because of his pain, he became a superhero, saving people. It was his penance.


	3. The Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Justice League discuss the story.

Tim fell quiet as he was balancing himself back and forth in his chair. Alfred gently whispered something in his ear and took his arm. Tim followed the very old man outside the room.

"What is wrong with him?", Wonder Woman asked softly.

Jason shrugged, feet still on the roundtable, "Bats are all insane apparently. At least, that's what I heard you say on your comms not too long ago". There was a long uncomfortable moment. Flash shifted in place and Superman could vaguely guess Flash had been the one saying that.

"It seems Tim Drake needed a break. Is there more to this story?", J'onn changed the conversation adroitly.

Jason smirked, "Oh, we haven't even gotten to the best part yet. Of course, there is more to the story". He resumed playing on his phone, ignoring the other members.

"Is any of that true?", Aquaman asked, skeptical.

Diana looked at Clark, "Well, I vaguely remembered playing with two boys when I was younger. And I did spend my first nine years amongst humans. My mother did fetch me later. It took her a long time to figure out where I was. I don't remember anything about wishes".

Clark shook his head, "Neither can I. Maybe Bruce did invent this story to help Tim cope with trauma".

Jason snorted, "You should know him better than that... But then again, neither you nor Wonder Woman seem to know anything that happened to him in the past years. I mean, it is hard to miss Tim's madness".

Clark did feel guilty about his absence. When was the last time he had talked to Bruce outside of a Justice League mission? Even with his very good memory, he couldn't remember.

It seemed Diana also felt guilty. Life had been busy for the both of them. Dating. Marriage. Kids.

Bruce hadn't been part of the happy side of their equations.

The room fell into a tense silence. Flash was tapping the table with his fingers. Hawkgirl was moving her mace around. Aquaman and J'onn were quietly observing Clark and Diana and they probably had many questions they couldn't voice now.

Finally, Alfred came back in, gently pulling Tim's hand into the room. The younger adult was trembling all over, but he seemed reassured by Alfred's firm presence. Both sat down.

"Do you feel comfortable continuing the story, Master Tim?", the butler nicely asked.

Tim nodded, "The story wants to be told".

And so he continued.


	4. The Story-Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Second part of the wishes.

Many years passed and the three children grew up to become adults. They were still best friends and they fought evil together. "One for all and all for one" and all that.

For a while, they were content saving the world when it needed to be done. Secretly, they all desired simpler things.

One day, the three friends decided to take a weekend off to picnic together. It was rare for them to enjoy a break.

The woman brought the drinks and the forks, spoons and knives. The alien man brought the apple pie and the vegetables. The other man brought the food cooked by his butler. All of them sat down and they started telling funny stories.

Out of nowhere, they were at the bottom of a deep hole. They each took the same route they had taken the first time: the water, the chimney and the tunnel. All of them ended up around a dark pond.

Then, the same voice they had heard before sounded, "Now, I present to you, your second wish. The rules are the same as before. You will see your deepest desire reflected in the pond and then you have to choose who won't have his or her wish granted. If nobody refuses, I'll take all your souls away".

"This time, we won't be had!", the man whose wish hadn't been granted, "We refuse to have our wish granted by your dark magic. Return us to our world."

The other two were uncertain why the man was so vehement about stopping this. They had both received priceless gifts. Granted, they now had more responsibilities, but the gifts had been precious.

Nonetheless, the voice replied with glee, "By virtue of having had two wishes granted last time, you have agreed to my contract. Hence, you cannot refuse the next two wishes I am granting".

The tunnel man was mad, "There must be an escape clause in your 'magic' contract."

The voice was amused by the man's calculation, "There is. You could have asked your magician friend. You only have to pay the interest, which is one soul".

The tunnel man bristled with anger. The woman turned to him, "Don't worry, friend, this time you will not be the one renouncing your wish". The man looked at her uncertainly.

The woman looked into the pond and saw something great. She would not say exactly what she saw, but she wanted her wish granted so she would be happy with her loved one and his family.

The alien man looked into the pond and a smile grew on his face. He said this wish a hundred times better than his first one. Family and love.

The last man looked into the pond and tears poured from his face, disturbing the pond's surface. He again refused to say what he had seen. Only that it was his fondest dream come true.

The woman and the alien man started a staring contest to decide who would stay and who would go. The tunnel man stopped it by saying he would renounce his wish again. The two others were concerned and said it was not his turn.

Neither understood the man's wish couldn't be granted.

He had deduced the person he loved had seen someone else's face reflected in the pond as their wish. Since the crying man was in love with that person, he wanted to grant that person's wish even if it broke his heart. Therefore, he had no choice but to renounce his dearest wish.

So the man walked back in the tunnel, his heart aching for his lost love. The overhead bats didn't scare him anymore.

He fell asleep at the bottom of the hole, mourning.

They all woke up at their picnic site. Once again, nothing changed immediately.

That year, the heartbroken man fell in love with a dangerous woman who broke his heart. He also adopted a young bird with broken human wings. The bird slowly healed. Life wasn't so bad.

Then, several years later, the child flew away from the nest to start his life. Life was a bit less bright at the tunnel man's home.

Another child was taken in, to help the child's broken wings heal. Unfortunately, a madman didn't like the idea of the bird bringing joy around the world and especially not in the tunnel man's home, so he tore the child apart.

That year, the alien man finally got a date with his lovely damsel.

That year, the woman finally got used to mankind's strange way and started trusting a man to date her.

Another child was taken in, with many reluctances this time, for losses were the crying man's worst nightmares. Life started to get better. The man's wound to the heart slowly started healing with the new bird's chirping.

Just as things were finally started to get better, the tunnel man's dead child was resurrected with insanity and vengeance in his dead heart. The dead bird attacked what the man loved most about his life.

The man had no choice to put his dead bird in a cage again, hoping he could heal his dead heart. The tunnel man had no tears to give, only quiet sorrow.

That year, the alien man got engaged to his lover.

That year, the woman got engaged to her lover.

A year passed by and, when the tunnel man was away, exploring a new tunnel, and the first bird and the third bird were flying happily away together, bringing worms to their rightful place, an eagle attacked them. The first bird fell from his rightful place in the sky and his beautiful songs died with him. The third bird made short work of the eagle.

That day, feathers laid heavily on the ground like poppies on a battlefield.

The third bird could no longer fly. His wings were fine, but his heart and mind had been intensively damaged by the attack.

The tunnel man took the small bird and placed him in a nice and cozy cage, hoping one day, the bird would fly again.

Songs no longer graced the tunnel man's home.

That year, the alien man got married and had his first child. His estranged relatives reconciled. And all was well.

That year, the woman got married and they adopted their first child. Her mother also granted her permission to come visit her with her husband and child. And all was well.


	5. Exchange

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Justice League discuss Bruce's luck in love and family.

Tim started coughing. Alfred helped him out and dragged him away again.

Jason chuckled for a long time.

J'onn's and Aquaman's stares at Superman and Wonder Woman were stronger this time. Hawkgirl was looking at the morbidly laughing man.

Flash was fidgeting again, "It is only a story, right?"

Superman wanted to reassure him it was. Chronologically it was all true. Although he didn't know about the circumstances surrounding Dick Grayson's death nor did he know about Tim Drake's madness.

"Who was the eagle?", Hawkgirl asked Jason. The man stopped making the grating sound to glare at her. He smirked again, "I'm not telling".

"His name was Damian. He was Master Bruce's and Talia Al Ghul's ten years old son", frail and old Alfred replied from the door sill. His eyes were alight with anger and sadness, much too vivid for a man barely able to walk without tumbling.

"Why did Bruce's son kill Nightwing?", Flash asked. Nobody had ever explained to him how his childhood hero had died despite his many questions on the subject. The Bats always kept information to themselves.

Alfred's expression softened at Flash's anguished expression, "He was trying to kill Master Tim to replace him. That is how the League of Shadow operates. Master Bruce's biological son killed Master Dick by accident while trying to kill Master Tim".

"And Tim killed Bruce's son as revenge?", Aquaman continued, drawn to the revenge element.

Alfred closed his eyes, leaning heavily on the back of a chair, "Yes. He didn't know it was Master Bruce's son. I don't think he knew the assassin was a ten years old boy either". After a moment, Alfred ordered, "Master Jason, I left Master Tim in the restroom. Could you take a look at him? He is a bit agitated". Jason's smirk disappeared in a blink of the eye, "I will keep an eye on him, Alfred. Take a seat." and the man went outside.

"Did you have any other questions on the subject? I would recommend you get them answered now. I would rather not have Master Tim hear them," the very old man said in disquieting ancient voice. Alfred had always had a certain dignity, but now, approaching his nineties, it had fallen apart by sorrow and pain.

"Was it Batman who found them?", J'onn asked softly.

Alfred nodded, "He did. Master Tim was far gone by that point. He was holding on to his brother's body as to a lifeline. It didn't take long for Master Bruce to reenact the scene. The son he didn't know he had murdered his oldest and his third son had killed his ten years old son. It..."

Superman had never heard Alfred hesitate before and he didn't like the sound of it now.

"...broke his heart", the old man finished, eyes staring fixedly at the table. The butler certainly seemed heartbroken too.

"How come Bruce didn't know he had a child?", Diana asked with a frown.

Alfred's sadness morphed to resentment and rancour, "I don't know the details. I can only deduce drugs were involved. Master Bruce became even more adamant not to take even painkillers about eleven years before Master Dick's death". The implications of the statement were not lost on Superman.

"And Batman put his third son in a mental asylum?", J'onn gently prodded.

"He did. There was not much choice. Except for the story he has been telling today, Master Tim has not spoken in coherent sentences since the incident. He would sometimes hurt himself by accident".

Superman felt bad. He had entirely missed that part of Bruce's life. Of course, he knew Dick was dead, but not that Bruce discovered a new dead son and his third son had gone insane.

He had been a bad friend and, if Tim's story was to be believed, Bruce had always been paying for his and Diana's wishes.

"If the story is true, there is still one wish left, isn't there?", Flash finally asked.

"Nope", Jason replied from the doorsill holding a pale looking Tim, "The story is not finished yet".

"Should we continue? Tim Drake seems upset", J'onn delicately said.

"Once he starts this story, he has to finish it or he grows more agitated", Alfred sighed.

Tim nodded seriously at that. Both he and Jason took a seat at the table and the youngest continued the horrible tale of fairies and wishes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dick being killed by Damian by accident was taken from the Injustice storyline. 
> 
> Tim going mad after killing someone is taken from the Batman Beyond storyline. In this case, he went insane because Dick died in his place and because he killed his adoptive father's ten years old biological son. 
> 
> In this storyline, Jason is the sanest of Bruce's sons alive. That is saying something.


	6. The Story- Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Third wish. Tim finishes his story.

Time goes by and the three children grew even older, each caring in their own ways for their children.

One day, on a mission on Earth, the three grown-up children fell in the same hole as the two last time. The alien man flew up. The Amazon princess swam through the water. The tunnel man crawled to the exit.

Again, the voice echoed all around them, "Today is the day your last wish is to be granted".

The tunnel man crossed his arms, "No".

"No?", the voice repeated, curious.

"No. We are done playing your games. I have asked my "magician friend" to give me an artifact to counter your magic".

The voice laughed, "You are so interesting. If someone renounces his wish today, it will be too bad this is the last time we meet. Your magic is not strong enough to stop me. What matters is this is your last wish. I would recommend you make it count", the amused voice continued.

This time, there is no time for discussion before their wishes are revealed.

The woman looked into the pond and smiled at the revelation of her deepest wish.

The alien man looked into the pond and wistfully smiles at the image.

The other man looked into the pond and nods in a resigned way.

The woman opened her mouth first, "This wish is not as important as the last one, but it is connected. The powers I received with my first wish allow me to live eternally for bringing peace to the world is an eternal job. I want to grow old with my loved ones".

The alien man replied, "This wish is not as important as the last one, but it is connected. The powers I received with my first wish allow me to be invulnerable until my death for saving people means I have to be able to take any punch. I want to know how it is to grow frail and weak with my loved ones".

The last man answered, "This wish is not as important as my first two wishes, but it is connected. My love and family life is in shambles. I see no hope for happiness. I am very tired of this world".

The woman and the alien man stared at him for a very long time.

"You cannot wish for that", the woman who had learned to love mankind answered him, "It is your turn to choose. But I will not agree to grant your death".

"You cannot wish for that", the man who had learned kindness was his biggest power answered him, "I will not let you die, even if it is your wish".

The other man glowered at them, "This is my strongest wish. You'll let it go".

The other two crossed their arms over their chest in stubbornness. The kind man continued gently, "We both rather lose our souls to the devil than help you die".

The tunnel man replied, "Don't be fools! That is stupid. Besides, this is my choice".

The woman pursued, "Both he and I are stubborn enough to stay here until you either change your wish or go back".

The tunnel man was befuddled, "No... You can't..."

The bodyless voice interjected, "As interesting as this is, I'll need your answers."

The woman cut in, "I will stay. My wish will be granted".

The alien man answered just as quickly, "I will stay. My wish will be granted".

This left the last man only two choices: either stay and force his friends and himself to lose their souls or go back.

"Damn both of your stubbornness!", he cursed as he crawled back into the tunnel he had taken previously. His feet, his heart and his mind burned at each step he made back to the black hole. It didn't matter. He fell asleep there.

The three grown-up children finished their mission.

The alien man returned to his wife and child.

The woman returned to her husband and children.

The other man returned to his work, broken birds and loyal butler.

Someone once told me fairy tales are supposed to have happy endings and happy endings only happen if you believe in them.

The alien man and the woman lived happily ever after with their families.


	7. In the End, It doesn't even Matter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The hostage situation in the Watchtower comes to an end.

There was not a sound following Tim's end of the tale. There was much to think over.

Alfred slowly helped worn out Tim up and guided him to the exit. Jason also stood up and helped him to the door.

But Superman was never good at letting it go, "Alfred, when was the last time you saw Bruce physically hurt?"

The butler still had vitriol in his tone, "I haven't seen his blood in a month. The last stitching done was three months ago". At that, Alfred exited with a weak-looking Tim.

Jason stared at them one at the time before his eyes fixed on Superman, "Superman, when you see the old man, tell him we are bringing Tim back home and I'm taking care of Tim. He is getting better. No way am I letting him rot in an insane asylum. If Bruce can get out of his own fucking head for one minute, he'll see things are actually improving if he could only fucking look for it instead of throwing his own pity party."

Superman was taken by surprise, "Uh, yes. I'll tell him that..."

Jason gave him a threatening grin, "You better do. And the Kryptonite bombs were a lie. This time". With that, Jason strutted out.

Flash stared at the door, hopeful this was the last he'd see of Jason for some time.

"The reason you have ceased to participate much lately is that you lost your invulnerability", J'onn slowly stated.

Superman nodded, "It is. I lost most of it in the past six months. I try to avoid reading about the League's activities since I want to help and a bullet is probably able to kill me now".

"And you, Wonder Woman, are growing more tired and losing your endurance in the past six months also", J'onn continued.

She acquiesced with a smile, "I did. It seems I grew a few decades older in the past two weeks."

There was another silence.

"So, the story was all true?", Hawkgirl had to ask.

Superman and Wonder Woman glanced at one another before nodding.

"Neither of us seems to remember the wishes, but it does explain both of our current conditions", Wonder Woman replied.

"Why didn't you tell us about your conditions?", Flash inquired.

It was a bit harder to answer that question, so Superman let Wonder Woman reply, "We thought we were letting all of you down by retiring".

Aquaman, J'onn, Flash and Hawkgirl exchanged looks.

"You have all done more than enough to help. We have the resources to help fill the void you'll leave in the Justice League. If you wish to retire, we will understand. We can take care of the world and we sincerely thank you for your decades of dedicated services", J'onn answered.

"But you better talk to Batman", Hawkgirl spat out with anger. No one contested her statement.

Superman smiled sadly, "It seems it is overdue".

Wonder Woman waved him off, "Go and talk to him. I'll see him later".

Everyone in the room was in agreement. Superman should go see him now.

Never mind how awkward the conversation would be, Superman was scared of confronting Bruce now that he knew how bad of a friend he had been.

But being Superman meant being courageous even when you didn't feel like it. And Bruce needed hope and kindness now more than anyone he knew about.

Without further ado, Superman went to the teleporting room and sent himself to the closest place near the sound of Bruce's heartbeat.

He found the man meditating in black clothes under a waterfall in rural Russia.

For a moment, he took in Bruce's tensed youthful body. His friend had not looked this young in decades and it surprised him how well defined his muscles were and how well sculpted his face was. He had forgotten how handsome Bruce had been. Of course, youthfulness did nothing to erase Bruce's scars. Nothing probably could.

"Are you going to talk or are you going to stare at me all day?", Bruce asked through closed eyes.

"You have an eternally young and invulnerable body and one of the first things you do is test your limits in enduring cold water? We really have to discuss your priorities", Superman answered with a smile.

Bruce stilled, eyes still closed, "You spoke with Alfred, I gather".

It was time to jump into the hard stuff. "Tim told us your "fairy tale", Clark whispered back.

Bruce opened his eyes, shock running deep in them, "He spoke coherently?"

"Yes."

Superman then saw something he had not seen in a long time. He saw Bruce smile with his eyes.

Unfortunately, the moment passed as quickly as it had arrived. The eyes then darkened into despair, shame and unhappiness.

"That story was never meant to reach your ears."

"I know", Superman gently answered. There was still a world between the two of them, but it had always been there, hanging silently between them.

"And Jason wanted me to pass you a message."

"You mean that I should get my head out of my ass?"

"...Did you put microphones in the League conference meeting room again?"

"You know the answer is yes. But I know the gist of what Jason said because I know him".

The bantering was good. It was almost reducing the wide gap between them. Almost.

One was unhappy with his life. One was still happy with his life. There was no bridging their current differences so easily. Still, some things had to be clarified.

Superman had to look away from Bruce's eyes, "Bruce, please don't let yourself die. No matter what you tell yourself, I care about you very much. And the others do too."

And Bruce hadn't replied. His heartbeat had varied very slightly. It had been enough. Because it proved Bruce still loved Clark. Because it proved Clark could use it as a weapon to convince Bruce to live and try to find happiness.

Bruce had always turned to Superman as a sunflower to the sun, waiting for its rays of kindness and never asking for more. He had never known he could have gotten more if he had actually asked for it.

Clark Kent was a kind man.

He didn't tell Bruce the truth. He probably never would.

"When are you coming back?", Clark gently asked, eyes searching his friend's face.

"I have always been very attached to my mortality. Getting invulnerable and eternally young is a bitter pill to swallow". Bruce didn't even try to hide the bitterness and anger in his tone. It was uncertain whether there was an accusation in it or not.

Conversations with Bruce were filled with so much subtext you weren't sure if you seeing all the layers or if you were projecting your thoughts on him. You always ended up skimming the subjects without clearly touching them.

Superman swallowed. On one hand, he felt guilty of forcing Bruce to live by discarding the powers that were too heavy for himself to carry. On the other hand, if giving those powers to Bruce meant he would be survived his own reckless and destructive behaviour, Superman didn't mind tricking his friend.

"If you wait too long, your birds will fly without you around".

Bruce stared at him, sad and tired, at once looking more his advanced fifties than the thirty years old his body now was, "They always flew best without me around."

"Don't you want to see them?" Arguing with Bruce about his worth always ended in a stalemate. If you actually wanted to go somewhere on the emotional front, you had to concentrate on a feeling and hope it wouldn't slip out of reach.

"I don't deserve them", Bruce continued in a resigned fashion.

"It is not a question of deserving them or not. It is a question of love. Do you love them?"

"Yes", came the bored reply, as if he had had this argument every day. He might have at that. He tended to overthink everything. Clark also heard the unspoken "But does it even matter?" As if loving someone was not enough. Maybe for Bruce, it wasn't.

"Then go". Be happy, he wanted to add. But he knew Bruce wouldn't let himself be happy. That he would give all the reasons why he didn't deserve it. He was the only one who believed he shouldn't be happy. Well, except his villains of course.

Bruce shook his head, "Not now."

"You do know Diana is going to come and drag you off if I don't convince you?"

"She can try", came the gruff reply. Bruce then closed his eyes, clearly dismissing his friend. Apparently, that childish tactic was still in Bruce's repertoire.

Clark looked at his friend for an uncomfortably long amount of time. He wanted to hug him, say thanks and sorry. He couldn't. That would have been for his own satisfaction, not Bruce's. The other didn't show anymore reaction to his presence so Clark flew away thinking about everything that had happened.

One thought made him particularly sick. If Tim's tale was true, there was a reason Superman's powers were always getting stronger with time. It could have matched Bruce's pain... It was not a hypothesis the now retired superhero wanted to entertain. He shuddered, whether because of his thoughts or the cold, he didn't know.

He landed in front of his lawn and his son ran in his arms, "Dad! You were gone a long time. Did you get hurt? Why are you crying?"

"I'm crying because I'm happy, Thomas. Sometimes, I wonder if I have the right to be happy".

His son stared at him, confused, "That is silly. Of course, you have the right to be happy. Everyone should be happy".

He smiled at his son, "That is true, son. That is very true."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's only a small epilogue left. It should be out soon.
> 
> The name of this chapter is taken from Linkin Park song "In the End".


	8. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wally wants to sleep, but he can't.

The night after an insane man recited a broken fairy tale, Wally couldn't sleep.

As Flash, he had seen horrible things.

Still, today had been especially tiring, frustrating and sad. Was there really an All-Powerful-Creature who could rearrange the universe to grant children's wishes? Was there a point in making someone pay for others' wishes? Was someone fooling with Batman's mind?

Wally couldn't do much with all those ideas.

But there was something else Wally could do.

He sat up and fetched his computer. By the lamplight, he wrote the fairytale exactly as he remembered it.

It still ended with "Someone once told me fairy tales are supposed to have happy endings and happy endings only happen if you believe in them. The alien man and the woman lived happily ever after with their families."

Then, his fingers hovered over the keypad and inspiration came in the form of Nightwing.

Wally had always looked up to Nightwing. He was cool with his acrobatic moves, funny repartee and a sincere smile.

So, Wally's fingers were guided in adding a new ending:

"The tunnel man knew hearts could be mended. Hadn't his own been healed time after time?

The tunnel man knew broken birds could fly again. Hadn't his own birds shown it again and again?

The tunnel man opened both his second bird's cage and his third bird's cage and let them out in his garden, letting them get used to the sun again.

It wasn't the same as before, but the sun still warmed them up.

Looking after his broken birds was hard for the tunnel man's wounded heart.

One day, both birds sang again.

That day, the tunnel man cried, this time with joy.

And they lived happily ever after."

 

And Wally saw everything that he had written, and, behold, it was very good.

That night, he slept well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for comments and kudos.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this story.


End file.
